On the anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack that left more than 1,100 dead in 2013, Syrian civil society remind the world that the Syrian government’s continued use of chemical weapons against civilians must be met with consequences. The global failure to protect Syrian civilians and ensure justice for those responsible has emboldened the Syrian government, which continues its use of banned chemical weapons at an alarming rate.
“On this day four years ago, the Syrian regime dropped 1,000 kg of sarin gas on civilians in Ghouta in the deadliest chemical attack since the Iran-Iraq war. This time, the world couldn’t feign ignorance – videos circulated of people suffering the effects of nerve gas, the streets lined with bodies. Sadly, many of the victims were women and children. Yet despite a collective, international expression of horror at the massive scale of the Ghouta chemical attack, still no one took action”, says Fadel Abdul Ghany, Chairperson of the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
“The Syrian government has carried out more than 200 chemical weapons attacks in its 7-year campaign to suppress demands for democracy and freedom, 5 in the last few months alone – even after French President Macron’s so far unfulfilled commitment to retaliate against any use of chemical weapons.